Monday, 2 January 2012

TV Picks: 2-8 January 2012 (Bank Job, Celebrity Big Brother, How To Cook Like Heston, Eternal Law, Hustle, Law & Order UK, New Girl, Stella, etc.)


MONDAY 2nd
Wanted Down Under (BBC1, 9am) Return of the property show. (1/20)
Britain's Empty Homes (BBC1, 11.30am) Series where vacant properties have their value assessed. (1/20)
Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2, 6.30pm) Travel series where Michael Portillo investigates various railways across the UK. (1/25)
The Channel 4 Mash Up (Channel 4, 6.30pm) Celebration of Channel 4's 30th anniversary, where various presenters do a job swap throughout the evening's programming.
An Island Parish (BBC2, 8.30pm) Return of the show following the lives of the islanders on the Outer Hebrides. (1/6)
Cornwall (ITV1, 8.30pm) Brand new travel series where Caroline Quentin visits Cornwall. (1/8)
Armando's Tale of Charles Dickens (BBC2, 9pm) Profile of the classic writer by comedy writer Armando Iannucci.
PICK OF THE DAY Endeavour (ITV1, 9pm) Prequel to murder-mystery drama Inspector Morse set in 1956. Starring Shaun Evans.
Obese: A Year To Save My Life (Sky1, 9pm) Series following a group of overweight people over a year. (1/9)
The Bank Job (Channel 4, 10pm) Live gameshow where players try to perform a bank heist. Continues every night until Saturday. (1/6)
Weeds (Sky Atlantic, 10.15pm) Season 6 of the US drama. (1/13)

TUESDAY 3rd
River Monsters (ITV1, 7.30pm) New series where angler Jeremy Wade searches for some of the world's most amazing fish. (1/7)
Nature's Weirdest Events (BBC2, 8pm) Series looking at the weird and wonderful side of the natural world.
Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (ITV1, 8pm) Celebrity edition of the long-running quiz. Hosted by Chris Tarrant.
The Biggest Loser USA (Sky Living, 8p ) US version of the weight-loss contest.
PICK OF THE DAY Public Enemies (BBC1, 9pm) Drama about the relationship between a murderer and his probation officer. Starring Daniel Mays & Anna Friel. Continues tomorrow, concludes Thursday. (1/3)
King George & Queen Mary: The Royal Who Rescued The Monarchy (BBC2, 9pm) Profile of the Queen's grandparents, George V and Queen Mary. Concludes tomorrow. (1/2)
The Biggest Loser (ITV1, 9pm) Series 2 of the weight-loss contest.
Accused: The 74 Stone Babysitter (Channel 4, 9pm) True life story about a 74 stone babysitter in Texas who was charged with the murder of a two-year-old boy under her care in 2008.
The Story Of Musicals (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on how British musicals sold the world on the art form.

WEDNESDAY 4th
Countryfile (BBC1, 8pm) Special episode looking at archive footage from the year.
PICK OF THE DAY How To Cook Like Heston (Channel 4, 8pm) Heston Blumenthal teaches viewers how to give their own cooking a dose of his celebrated inventiveness. (1/6)
The Fabulous Baker Boys (Channel 4, 8.30pm) Series about two brothers who work next door to each other, as a baker and a butcher respectively. (1/6)
One Born Every Minute (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 3 of the documentary from a maternity ward. (1/14)
Bigger Than Beyonce (Sky Living, 9pm) Weight-loss series where people aspire to be slimmer than their heroes, in this case singer Beyonce.

THURSDAY 5th
Location, Location, Location (Channel 4, 8pm) Return of the property series.
Ice Hotel (Channel Five, 8pm) Documentary about a hotel in Sweden made entirely of ice.
The Restoration Man (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 2 of the show looking at various restoration projects. (1/6)
PICK OF THE DAY Eternal Law (ITV1, 9pm) Fantasy drama about two angels helping a community in York as lawyers. (1/6)
Celebrity Big Brother 2012 (Channel Five, 9pm) Return of the celebrity edition of the reality show. Hosted by Brian Dowling.
The Grammar School: A Secret History (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on the heyday of the British grammar school.

FRIDAY 6th
Celebrity Come Dine With Me (Channel 4, 7.30pm) Celebrity edition of the dining challenge show, with guests Tina Malone, Imogen Thomas, Paul Danan & David Van Day.
Safari Vet School (ITV1, 8pm) Series where 32 British vets are taken to the Amakhala Game Reserve in South Africa to learn. (1/12)
The One Lenny Henry (BBC1, 8.30pm) Sketches and comedy from the comedian.
PICK OF THE DAY New Girl (Channel 4, 8.30pm) Season 1 of the US comedy about an adorable single girl living with three men. Starring Zooey Deschanel. (1/24)
Hustle (BBC1, 9pm) Series 8 of the conman drama. (1/6)
Sicily Unpacked (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary on Sicily.
Law & Order UK (ITV1, 9pm) Return of the cop/lawyer drama. Starring Bradley Walsh & Paul Nicholls. (1/7)
Stella (Sky1, 9pm) Comedy-drama about a fortysomething mother. Starring Ruth Jones. (1/10)
Rude Tube (Channel 4, 10pm) Return of the internet clips show.
Celebrity Wedding Planner (Channel Five, 10pm) Documentary where a couple let a celebrity organize their wedding. This episode finds Jedward as the planners, with a £12,000 budget and a two-weeks to create the perfect wedding. (1/4)


SATURDAY 7th
The Magicians (BBC1, 6.35pm) Series 2 of the illusion show where celebs help with the tricks.
Take Me Out (ITV1, 7.30pm) Series 3 of the dating gameshow. Hosted by Paddy McGuinness.
The Talent Show Story (ITV1, 8.30pm) Series looking at the rise of the talent show format, from Opportunity Knocks in the '70s to X Factor in the '00s. (1/3)
Borgen (BBC4, 9pm) Series 1 of the Danish drama about politics and government. Subtitled.
PICK OF THE DAY The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV1, 9.30pm) Series 2 of the chat show. Guests are John Bishop, Brian Cox & Lana Del Ray.

SUNDAY 8th
PICK OF THE DAY Dancing On Ice (ITV1, 6.30pm) Series 7 of the celebrity ice skating contest. Hosted by Philip Schofield & Christine Bleakley, with Robin Cousins, Louie Spence & Katarina Witt.
Wild At Heart (ITV1, 8.30pm) Return of the drama about a family living in Africa.
To Boldly Go (ITV1, 9pm) Documentary where medical expert Kevin Fong explains how the world's population can actually live on a quarter of the Earth's surface. (1/3)
That Sunday Show (ITV1, 10pm) Return of the lighthearted topical discussion show. Hosted by Adrian Chiles.
Desperate Housewives (E4, 10pm) Season 8 of the US drama.